Jane Jacobs (1916-2006) is an icon, a visionary
writer who can be credited for almost single-handedly launching a powerful American
urbanist movement whose principles continues to shape debates over the city
today. A successful journalist during a
time when women had little to no agency in professional architectural or city
planning circles, Jacobs wrote the seminal work The Life and Death of Great American Cities. Her scholarship was
complemented by a fierce street-wise activism that showed how engaged citizens
can fight the power for better neighborhoods. This highly-praised documentary
depicts the epic 1960s battle between Jacobs and the ruthless New York City "master builder and planning tsar" Robert Moses, a crucial battle that was to
determine the future of lower Manhattan.

"Cinematic Visions. American Cities and Architecture in Documentaries" is a series of film screenings which will be held from February to June. We will view
films and discuss architecture through the lens of American movies. The American
experience in shaping architectural trends, urban planning, and design in the
Modern and post-Modern eras has been celebrated and vilified through the
cinematic lens. Our newly launched film series Cinematic Visions explores, celebrates, and deplores the
visual legacies of American society. Monthly screenings will offer interpretations
of American efforts in contemporary architecture, urban construction (and
deconstruction), as well as related topics.